Dem. Alsobrooks Against Rep. Hogan in Maryland Senate Election

By: Eileen W. ‘27

Specific ads have been prevalent lately in the Youtube feeds of Marylanders. These ads, which have been labeled “inescapable” by one article from The Baltimore Sun, are funded by million-dollar political campaigns. They promulgate messages such as “Angela Alsobrooks evades taxes” or “Larry Hogan is against reproductive rights.” Normally, political campaigns - especially in Maryland, where Democratic candidates are almost guaranteed a win - would not spend over $65 million in advertising, a statistic calculated by The Washington Post. This year is not normal.

Currently, Democrats control forty-seven seats in the Senate. Furthermore, three of the four Independent Senators are in the Democratic caucus, while the fourth says she won’t caucus with the Republicans - meaning that Democrats have majority control of the Senate. However, should Republican Larry Hogan become one of the two Senators of Maryland, the Democrats would lose their majority control of the Senate, tipping the balance of power in the federal government.

Maryland is a heavily Democratic state. According to Independent Voter Project, over two million of registered voters are Democrats, compared to around one million registered Republican voters and around one million registered third-party or unaffiliated voters. Typically, the Democratic Party would be guaranteed two blue seats from Maryland.

However, this year, incumbent Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin has announced his retirement from his Maryland Senate seat. Cardin’s retirement creates a chance for former governor Larry Hogan, who, despite being Republican, is unprecedentedly popular with Marylanders. Hogan preceded incumbent Governor Wes Moore as Maryland governor and held a high approval rating throughout his two terms, leaving office with a 77% approval rating, according to CBS News. As former governor, Hogan also has much higher name recognition than his opponent, Angela Alsobrooks, who is the current county executive of Prince George's County.

This year’s unusually competitive election has led to a battle in the Youtube advertisements section, as well as the peppering of yard signs on lawns. This election, in today’s intensely partisan America, is not just about which candidate a voter believes has better stances on policy, or is more trustworthy. In 2024, the winner of the Maryland Senate election could decide whether the Senate is Republican- or Democrat-majority. Voters in Maryland must consider their choices more closely than ever before.